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RICO
"RICO" is the eighth episode of the first season of Better Call Saul and the eighth episode of the series altogether. Jimmy demonstrates to Chuck that he's willing to do almost anything to win a case, even if it means getting his hands dirty. Teaser In a flashback, Jimmy McGill pushes a mail cart through the bustling halls of HHM. He rolls along, cheerfully distributing packages and making small talk; he fits in well with the law firm that he will one day despise. Jimmy's smile fades as he reaches Kim Wexler's office and holds up an envelope. He's too nervous to open it. Kim takes the envelope from him, reads the letter inside, and kisses him. He heads to Chuck McGill's office next. Chuck is the picture of health, sitting in his corner office amidst various forms of electricity. He's even using a Dictaphone to compose a letter. Jimmy timidly interrupts and reveals: he passed the New Mexico Bar Exam. He asks if he can come work at HHM once he is sworn in. Chuck tells him that he has to confer with the other partners, but suggests "How can they say no?" Later that day, Jimmy celebrates with his fellow mailroom employees and Kim. Howard Hamlin stops by the party and informs Jimmy that HHM will not be hiring him. Summary Back in the present: Kim unpacks in her old office. After salvaging the Kettleman case , she is back in the good graces of HHM and has been allowed to return from exile in the dreaded "East Wing." Howard knocks on her door and convinces her to attend the firm's press conference. She agrees and stands demurely in the background as Howard announces the settlement of the Kettleman case. To Jimmy's chagrin, the televised press conference is currently being broadcast at the reception desk of Sandpiper Crossing, an assisted living center where he has come to visit a client. Jimmy wraps up his meeting with Mrs. Landry. When it comes time to pay the bill, she realizes that she doesn't have enough money left from her monthly allowance to cover it. Jimmy is about to leave with an IOU when he considers her predicament. "Monthly allowance?" His interest piqued, Jimmy does a little investigating. He compares the bills of several Sandpiper Crossing residents and uncovers multiple cases of gross overcharging: the groundwork for a lawsuit. He convenes a group of seniors to point out the errors in their monthly statements -- a meeting that does not go unnoticed by Sandpiper Crossings' facility manager. Jimmy heads over to Chuck's house to consult the files of some of his other Sandpiper Crossing clients. He shares his discovery with Chuck, who has been unable to resist processing the paperwork that Jimmy asked him to store. Chuck is shocked that he missed such egregious errors but begrudgingly agrees that a class action lawsuit could be brought against the facility if Jimmy can establish a pattern of over-billing. Jimmy returns to Sandpiper Crossing but is banned from the premises. They've enacted a new policy in order to protect their residents from unwanted "legal solicitation." As Jimmy argues with the facility manager, he hears the unmistakable sound of shredding from the adjacent office. "Spoliation," he cries. Jimmy manages to talk his way into being allowed to use the restroom, where he furiously scribbles a "demand letter" on toilet paper, informing Sandpiper Crossing of pending litigation against them. He thrusts the "document" at the facility manager before he is tossed out. Jimmy returns to the assisted living facility later that night to search their dumpster for the shredded documents. As he digs through the garbage, he receives a call from Rich Schweikart, Sandpiper Crossing's attorney. Schweikart also happens to be an old acquaintance of Chuck's and asserts that he's calling Jimmy out of professional courtesy to Chuck. He warns Jimmy not to pursue legal action against Sandpiper Crossing. But as Jimmy climbs out of the dumpster, he discovers the shredded documents deposited neatly in a nearby recycling bin. Jimmy arrives at Chuck's house, bags of shredded paper in hand, ready to get to work. He spends the entire night trying to piece the documents back together. The next morning, Chuck finds an exhausted Jimmy, still up from the night before. Chuck steps away to make coffee and returns to find Jimmy asleep. Impressed by Jimmy's commitment, Chuck decides to pick up where Jimmy left off, and by the time Jimmy wakes up, Chuck has assembled the "smoking gun" -- an invoice for syringes from a medical supply company in Lincoln, Nebraska. Energized by the work, Chuck gives Jimmy a long list of case law to pull for research. Jimmy, ecstatic to be working with his brother, hugs Chuck. Outside, Jimmy calls Kim at HHM and asks her to print the case law Chuck requested and to bill it to Chuck's account. Kim proceeds, but worries that Chuck's involvement with Jimmy's case could violate Chuck's contract with HHM -- and, more importantly, endanger his mental health. Meanwhile, Stacey arrives home from work. Mike Ehrmantraut, who had been babysitting his granddaughter Kaylee, gets up to leave when Stacey pulls him aside to ask for advice. She shows Mike the envelope of cash from Matty's hidden suitcase, and shares her uncertainty about what to do with it, noting that expenses have been piling up. Mike encourages her to spend the money. Relieved, she thanks him, but mentions that this money is really "only a drop in the bucket." Later, at his office, Schweikart receives a fax that includes a new, proper demand letter from Jimmy and Chuck and along with it, copies of reassembled Sandpiper Crossing billing statements. Schweikart and his team arrive at Chuck's house to negotiate with the McGill brothers: this attorney duo has their attention. Jimmy meets them at the curb, curtly asks them to leave their electronics in the car, escorts them inside, and seats them at Chuck's dining room table. Jimmy ducks into the kitchen to get Chuck, whom he finds slumped and disheveled. Chuck anxiously admits, "I don't know if I can do this." Jimmy reassures his brother, helping him into his jacket as he restores Chuck's confidence and leads him into the dining room where Schweikart and team await. Schweikart lays out his proposal: Some Sandpiper Crossing residents were indeed over-billed, the result of an innocent accounting error. He offers $100,000 to reimburse the residents and cover legal fees, with the caveat that Sandpiper Crossing admits no wrongdoing. Jimmy responds by referencing the syringe invoice from Nebraska, declaring pointedly that the inclusion of interstate commerce means RICO provisions kick in, elevating the case to fraud and entitling his clients to much higher damages. After a moment of intense private discussion with his team, Schweikart asks Jimmy what number he's got in mind. Chuck, thus far silent, finally speaks up: "$20 million. Or we'll see you in court." After Schweikart and his team leave, Jimmy panics over Chuck's high damages demand. Chuck calmly assures him that it's actually a conservative estimate for a multi-state federal class action lawsuit with RICO considerations at the penalty phase. Jimmy falls quiet, at last catching a glimpse of the magnitude of this case. Chuck emphatically lists their next steps; Jimmy's ready to dive in. Case on! Meanwhile, Mike visits the vet who stitched up his bullet wound. This time, Mike has a friend with him: a shelter dog he adopted. While there for the dog's examination, Mike asks the vet whether he still has the "work" available to which he previously alluded. Days later, Jimmy stops by Chuck's house with boxes of new client paperwork and legal documents. He left a box in the car, but is too tired to go and get it himself. Engrossed in a file and impatient to get the code provision documents he needs, Chuck marches out the front door, grabs Jimmy's car keys from the mailbox, and retrieves the box of files from Jimmy's trunk. He's out of the house -- and not in pain. Jimmy watches from the doorway, amazed. Jimmy calls quietly to his brother. Chuck suddenly realizes where he is, and the box falls from Chuck's stunned hands to the ground. Credits Main Cast * Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman * Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut * Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler * Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin * Michael Mando as Nacho Varga (credit only) * Michael McKean as Chuck McGill Supporting Cast * Kerry Condon as Stacey Ehrmantraut * Dennis Boutsikaris as Rick Schweikart * Jillian Armenante as Paula * Joe DeRosa as Caldera * Jean Effron as Irene Landry * Marty Lindsey as Alvin Reese * Geoffrey Pomeroy as Phil Jergens * Brandon K. Hampton as Ernesto * Sam Quinn as Burt * Faith Healey as Kaylee Ehrmantraut * Tomas Sanchez as Gary * Jermaine Washington as Harold * Janelle Santillanes as HHM Employee #1 * Gene Chavez as Gene (as "HHM Employee #2") * Carmela Morales as Vet's Clerk * Wendy Miner-Ashby as Water Aerobics Instructor * Erin Moots as Sandpiper Crossing Employee Trivia * The episode title refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. * Jimmy gets his law degree from the University of American Samoa, which was mentioned in Breaking Bad. In reality, there is no such university, although there is a community college. Title Sequence * Three different shots of Saul's ties lying on the ground, all with Tarantulas crawling out of them. Cultural references *Jimmy claims to be watching Mozart's The Magic Flute. Legal *Jimmy accuses the care home of spoliation of evidence. *Jimmy claims that taking documents from trash is legal if it is in a public place as there is no expectation of privacy (per ''California v. Greenwood''.) References Category:Better Call Saul episodes Category:Season 1 episodes (Better Call Saul)